He spearheaded what the press has been calling the "Auditing Storm".

Among the "Magnificent 10" of 2004, Li Jinhua, auditor-general of the National Audit Office (NAO), topped the list by winning nearly 2 million votes.

Li spearheaded what the press has been calling the "auditing storm," which developed last year into an attempt to smash corruption.

In a report submitted on June 23 to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature, the NAO exposed a range of "economic irregularities" that it had discovered the year earlier by auditing several dozen government departments and large State-owned enterprises.

According to the report, public money that ran into many billions of dollars had been misused or misappropriated.

The report was applauded nationwide, and Li, who spearheaded the assault, naturally became a prominent figure.

Speaking at the soiree, Li admitted that NAO staff had hesitated before deciding to report the cases to the NPC for fear of "making too many enemies."

"It was the sense of responsibility to the nation and the people that prompted us to pluck up the courage to do so," he said.

Speaking of the future, Li responded by saying: "I'm speaking on behalf of all the 80,000 men and women working in auditing offices across the country when I say 'We won't let you down.'

"The 'auditing storm' will continue."